(bright music) - [Dara] Side by side, they work as husband and wife at Project LeanNation in Ballantyne.

It's a dream come true for Alexandra Sampson, owning a healthy meal prep store and having the backing of her husband.

- Kevin has definitely always supported me in being able to go after my goals and dreams.

- [Dara] Although he's happy to help his wife in any way, Kevin has his own dreams to thrive in the craft brewery industry.

- During the pandemic, my wife got me a virtual home brewing course, so that started me off on really kind of home brewing, and I was just like, "Wow, I can make beer at the house."

- [Dara] From there, he was hooked and eager to learn more.

So when he found out about the Many Faces Brewery Initiative internship hosted by Town Brewing Company in Charlotte, he knew it was the right choice.

- And it was like just a great opportunity for me to actually see the craft beer industry from the inside out.

So I definitely wanted to take advantage of that.

(upbeat music) - [Dara] The paid 10-week internship was founded by Brian Quinn to make the industry more diverse by giving people of color access to mentorship and hands-on training.

It's an extension of his initiative that began in 2020.

- Craft beer certainly has a stereotypical demographic of that, you know, bearded tattooed white guy that, you know, slurps down hazy IPAs.

- [Dara] Knowing that and seeing the nationwide unrest over the murder of George Floyd, Brian says he felt it was time for a change.

- I wanted to try to find some way to help craft beer kinda live up to that promise of really creating a community space, and one of the ways that I thought would be best to kind of, you know, address that issue was by expanding how we hire into the industry.

- [Dara] According to the latest data from the Brewers Association, less than 1% of breweries in the US are owned by African Americans.

A reality that Town Brewing Company bartender, Kam Marcus, hopes to change when he opens his own brewery.

- My opportunities have been very different in life.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

And I didn't really think that this would be an industry that I would kinda break into.

- [Dara] If you stop by the brewery on an evening when he is working, you'll find him taking orders and eloquently pouring up housemaid fresh golden beer topped with a creamy foam.

A few of the skills he learned when he was an intern with the program last summer.

- All right, guys.

- Thank you, sir.

- No problem.

Cheers.

He never hesitated to make me feel comfortable.

I felt simply like everyone else, just a person.

Color didn't matter.

- [Dara] You wouldn't know it when you meet him, but Kam admits he's a naturally shy person, and the internship taught him people skills that are must haves when dealing with the public.

- Not everybody is coming in with a smile right off the gate.

After a long day, it's okay, you're here, we're here.

We'll be here together.

- [Dara] For customers like Chad Kirkaby, he appreciates the positivity.

- Oh, he was great.

- [Dara] Chad says he also appreciates seeing inclusivity.

- Adding diversity and variety as a spice of life, you know?

I mean, you never know who you're gonna meet when you roll into places like this.

- [Dara] Cracking open a can of cold beer, Dedrick McFadden chats with his mentor, Brian, in the same space where he interned.

- I definitely spent more time at this brewery than any other because I knew I was welcomed here.

- [Dara] Dedrick learned a lot during his internship in 2021, like canning, cleaning tanks, and kegging.

And now that he's a production associate at HopFly in Charlotte, he knows his presence makes an impact.

- A lot of people like want to go to a place where they see people like themselves.

It's a comfort level thing.

It's just like, you look around and you're like, "Oh, okay, you know, I'm okay here."

- [Dara] That same level of comfort exists at 760 Craft Works in Huntersville where another former intern works.

- You don't see a lot of Black people, especially women in the industry.

If they're not behind the bar bartending, you don't see them in the brewhouse, you don't see them in management positions, you don't see them anywhere else.

So I was happy to have a space where I could explore those opportunities.

- Brittany Makitan tells me she's proud to know she's inspiring others with her role as an assistant brewer.

- In my old position as a nurse, you're kinda just one of hundreds, and I didn't really see myself as someone who could be encouraging or open doors for people in that role.

So it does feel nice to be in that position now.

- [Dara] As former interns continue to thrive, program leaders say they'll keep nurturing current interns so they too can forge a path that leads to more inclusivity.

For "Carolina Impact", I'm Dara Khaalid.